Focus on Eternity

     How often do you ask yourself the question, “What is God doing in and through my life?  Is this something that you ponder regularly?  If we, called to be ambassadors for Christ Jesus, desire to follow our Lords' instructions (See Matthew 28:18-20), do we see the Great Commission as a command or something different?  I think about this often.  How do we engage others in gospel conversations?  If we do not consider how to create conversations with others about our faith in Jesus Christ, what purpose do we consider more relevant? Paul explains in Romans chapter 10, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?   And how are they to believe in him whom they have never heard?   And how are they to hear without someone preaching?   And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15a, ESV)  My eyes relished two verses the Holy Spirit brought to my attention this morning as I read from the 11th chapter of Hebrews.   “By faith we understand that

     During the holiday season, it is so easy to become overwhelmed with busyness.   It is significantly important as Christians that we set our eyes on Jesus.   Our thinking is critical, not only for our sake but for the sake of those who place no importance on His birth.    How often do we lose sight of the truth behind Christmas?   Although December 25 th is probably not Jesus' real birthday, it is the day we set aside to recognize the best gift one could ever receive.   For that reason, our energy surrounding a Christ-centered Christmas is important.      This past weekend’s Sunday School lesson focused on the angels' visits both to Mary and Joseph.   We spoke about how Mary had set her plans for the future aside to make Gods’ purpose her mission.    We talked about how God brought Joseph to the right understanding of Mary’s commitment and how he, too, was obedient to God’s plans.   I wanted these fifth graders to see how they, also, could be a part of Gods’ plan

     As I write this article, we are in the last year of this decade, 2019,   and the last month of this year, December.   To some that may seem significant, but to others it may have gone entirely unnoticed.  In 2019, over one million people have participated in 'the ten-year photo challenge' on social media, so some are noticing!   This photo challenge has been going on throughout the entire year, but it has just recently caught my attention as many of my social media friends have taken this challenge.  The challenge consists of people posting a 'then’ (2009) and 'now' (2019) picture of themselves.  This challenge is not just a Facebook® trend but also has been part of Twitter® and Instagram®.  Some have speculated that this challenge had an underlying motivation to help programmers develop facial recognition aging algorithms for use on the Internet.  What seems to have made this trend most popular is celebrity involvement.          Unlike many participants, I